A motorcyclist is dead after a three-vehicle crash shut down a major intersection in northwest Oklahoma City on Friday, with officers diverting traffic while investigators work the scene. The wreck happened at NW 150th Street and May Avenue and involved a motorcycle and two other cars, leaving at least one person dead.
Oklahoma City police had not released the number of victims as of Friday evening, according to News 9, which is treating the incident as a developing story and sent a crew to the scene. Officers shut down the intersection at NW 150th and May so investigators could work the crash site, the station reported.
The crash adds to a troubling pattern along the NW 150th Street corridor. In April 2025, a three-vehicle fatal crash occurred one mile west at NW 150th Street and Portland Avenue, where a 75-year-old driver was killed after a rear-end collision pushed her vehicle into oncoming traffic, according to the Abel Law Firm. North May Avenue itself has also seen recent motorcycle collisions — in April 2026, a motorcyclist was hospitalized after colliding with a passenger car at North May Avenue and NW 66th Street, further north in the city, per the same firm's crash reporting.
Motorcycle Deaths Climbing Statewide Even as Overall Fatalities Fall
Motorcycle Deaths Climbing Statewide Even as Overall Fatalities Fall Friday's crash comes amid a statewide surge in motorcycle deaths that has outpaced broader traffic safety gains. Oklahoma recorded 106 motorcycle fatalities in 2024, a 10-year high and a 19 percent jump from the 89 motorcycle deaths logged in 2015, according to NHTSA crash data cited by Lawter & Associates. That rise stands in contrast to Oklahoma's overall traffic fatality trend: 645 deaths in 2024, down from 711 in 2023.
Oklahoma City itself has not been immune to the trend. Oklahoma Highway Safety Office statistics show the city recorded 283 motorcyclist crash involvements in 2021, resulting in 43 serious injuries and 15 fatalities — 12 of which involved riders who were not wearing helmets, according to data compiled by Ylla Gosney. Nationally, motorcyclist fatality rates per vehicle mile traveled run nearly 24 times higher than those for passenger car occupants, per NHTSA data, underscoring the outsized risk riders face even in routine traffic.
Oklahoma's Helmet Law Only Covers Riders Under 18
Oklahoma law does not require adult motorcyclists to wear helmets. Under Oklahoma Statutes Title 47, Section 12-609, crash helmets are mandatory only for operators and passengers under age 18, according to Justia Law, leaving the choice up to adult riders. Separately, state traffic statutes do require any motorcyclist riding without a windshield to wear approved protective eyewear, regardless of age, per the Burton Law Group.
Whether helmet use or protective gear played any role in Friday's crash has not been disclosed, and police have not released details on how many people were hurt or killed. Oklahoma City police have been working to get ahead of such crashes this year: in September, the department hosted free motorcycle skill-building classes taught by OKCPD officers, giving local riders a chance to practice emergency braking, cornering and maneuvering, according to a department announcement on Facebook.
This is a developing story, and Hoodline will update as police release more information about the crash and the victims involved.
